THE DARK SHADOW
_~"Love was the weapon. Revenge is the game."
I lunge for the cabin door the moment Cecily steps off the plane.
"I just forgot something," she says over her shoulder, casual, too casual.
Something feels off. I rise to follow her, but the moment you stand, the world tilts. A wave of dizziness crashes over me like a tide—my limbs go loose, vision blurs, and my knees give way.
The plane veers violently to the left. Alarms shriek. I'm thrown against the cabin wall as the jet dips—hard. The last thing I see through the window is Cecily standing perfectly still on the tarmac, not moving, not even looking back.
Then—impact.
A flash of searing pain. Darkness.
I wake up to silence. My head throbs, and the air smells like rust and sea-salt. Wherever I am now, it's not the plane.
I stumble to your feet and find myself in what looks like a sprawling estate—an island mansion surrounded by nothing but jungle and distant waves. The walls are too clean. The light, too bright. I move like you're underwater, every step thick and dreamlike.
Downstairs, I find a set of grand double doors. I hesitate. Then open them.
My breath catches.
Creighton King stands in the center of the room, alive, untouched, and far too calm.
"You," I whisper.
He smiles—but there's no warmth in it.
"Did you think it was over, little purple?"
My heart slams against your ribs.
And then—everything goes black
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